Wanted Please - Harrogate / York / Leeds area

[HoofyLoo]

Hi there

I'm currently doing all my research in regards to keeping chickens. I have a few questions about keeping them nice and clean. I'm hoping to pick up a second hand eglu classic.

 

Do I need to use a specific cleaner on the eglu? Or will ecover disinfectent work? I was thinking I could line the tray with newspaper, empty and give it a clean once a week. Will this be suficient?

 

How do I prevent red mite in the eglu?

 

Many thanks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Welcome to the forum .

 

In the past I just used Ecover washing up liquid to get the muck off and then a pet friendly spray (don't know if Ecover disinfectant would be ok or not). Nowadays I use a power washer and nothing else.

 

You'd be unlucky to get red mite in an eglu (but it's not unheard of) but Red Mite Powder or Diatomaceous Earth are good preventatives.

 

Once a week for cleaning is fine - I did the poo tray weekly and a more thorough clean much less often (mine don't sleep in the eglu now so it hardly needs cleaning!). You can use newspaper or just some bedding under the roosting bars. Then the whole lot will tip into a compost bin easily.

[dutchie]

Hi HoofyLoo,

 

I just use a bucket of warm water with washing up liquid in it, Ecover as it happens, and the garden hose. I do that every 2 weeks.

 

I line the tray with newspaper every 5 to 7 days, depending on how full it is. Newspaper makes it easy to tip into the compost bins. And I just hand rip newspaper for the nest. I found that worked better than shredded paper, as it would get caught on their feet and dragged into the run.

[Jenthelibrarian]

Hi!

 

Exactly a year ago we got our secondhand Eglu Classic, after much ebay-watching

 

Like the others, we scrub out with Ecover once a week and rinse with the hose. I use the 'all purpose cleaner' which makes fewer bubbles than the washing up liquid, btw. In the really cold winter weather we did a thorough wipe down with dry kitchen roll, rather than get everything soaked and freezing and the girls lived to tell the tale...

 

I line the poop tray with newspaper and a sprinkle of woodshavings, and change mid-week as well as at the weekend major cleanout, I just shoot the lot into my compost heaps, along with the used straw from the nest box.

Somebody [meaningful look at Mathilda...] seems to roost, and poop, in there

 

Bit of Nettex, or similar, keeps their woodchip sweet and they really don't smell at all, nor do I think you need to have major worries about mites with the plastic house and fittings.

 

Our Eglu came in quite a grubby state, the Glug was all lime-scaley, but a good scrubbing and a blast with the hose made it good as new

[blueandwhite]

hi in Summer I take eglu to pieces every weekend and give it a scrub with whatever washing up liquid I have and hose down, dry off, dust with red mite powder. In Winter I tend to just take the roosting bars out and scrub them or use wipes if really cold. Also wipe out next box and use the mite powdre - it just freshens it up. I empty the tray most days, I do use newspaper but my girls tend to shred it so it doesn't do much good. I've been putting a football in next box for the last few weeks (after 3 years of them sleeping in it having to clean poo out every morning before work) - they seem quite happy and snuggle up to the ball! I rake out the run every weekend, use nettex (from Omlet) and then put meadow hay in run. The girls like scratching about in this when they are confined to barracks! I also hang a red top fly trap in the garden in Summer. Best of luck.